Shabbat Shalom.
The portion I will recite today is B’midbar. Midbar means the wilderness which is where the story takes place, and the Israelites start their journey to Israel. When writing my d’var torah I was able to identify some similarities between the Israelite’s experience in the wilderness and my experience during the pandemic. So, what did I learn?
The first year after the Israelites left Egypt they received the Torah on Mount Sinai. During the second year after camping on Mount Sinai the Israelites started their journey to the promised land. Little did they know it would take 40 years. So, why did they travel for 40 years to get to the promised land?
One commentator suggests that during their 40 year trek, the Israelites became adults and “found themselves”. According to philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The desert is a frightening expanse, filled with pitfalls and possibilities of failure. But it is the wise and courageous person that recognizes that it is actually the midbar that we can truly find ourselves”. I think that this is because they were out in the wilderness with no distractions. This means that the Israelites had more time to focus on themselves.
The experience of being in the wilderness is similar to the pandemic. This is because we are isolated, just like the Israelites were, and some of the experience is a hardship, but we can also benefit from it. I believe that the pandemic has helped lots of people discover things about themselves. I learned that I can stay calm in stressful situations, and I am very organized.
The extended hardships of the pandemic, and the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness were caused by our reactions to situations. In the story of Shelach Lecha god told Moses to send men to scout out the land of Negeb. The scouts came back and they said that the land was good, but the citizens are powerful and much stronger than us. Two of the scouts argued back and said that it would be safe to settle on the land but everyone else was too afraid. God forced the people to wander the wilderness for 40 years until the older generation died off, leaving the younger generation to enter the promised land without fear.
Similarly, the pandemic has been longer because some people decide not to wear masks, the outcome of this has been that more people are getting sick which results in a longer time spent in the pandemic. This evidence answers the question, why did the Israelites travel for 40 years to get to Israel? Well, all the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt were not able to enter the promised land, so they had to wait a whole generation to get there.
Since the Israelites were in the wilderness for so long, they needed certain skills. Specifically to communicate and be cooperative. According to the story of Korach, Numbers 16: 1-7, a group of Israelites led by a man named Korach were questioning why Moses and Aaron had more power than others. God had chosen Moses and Aaron to be leaders because they were able to communicate and cooperate. Korach wanted power, but he did not have the skills to have power.
Just like the Israelites I learned to communicate and cooperate during the pandemic. I also learned business skills, and the importance of being organized. I learned these skills from my business and mitzvah project, Flour Power. During the summer of 2020 my friend and I started an online baking business, because we were bored. We created a website and an order form. We wanted to do something good for others, so we decided to donate half of the proceeds to Komera fund, which is a non-profit that works to make self-confident women through education, community, and health. I love the business because I can hang out with my friend, but also feel like I am doing something that empowers girls, and makes them feel confident.
Preparing for my bat mitzvah has been a long journey, but I couldn't have done it without these people. I want to thank my parents for taking care of me and keeping up with me during COVID, my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins for supporting me. I want to thank my friend Mabel, for being a great business partner and friend. I also want to thank my friends for being there for me whenever I needed them. I want to thank Missie, my tutor, and Rabbi Penzner for helping me prepare for my bat mitzvah. And finally I want to thank my Hebrew school class for welcoming me and making me feel like part of the group from day one.
Shabbat shalom